December 2008: Condensed Attacks
For 2008 documentation purposes, we have condensed pit bull attacks that occurred in December, which did not receive a full blog post.
Woman Bitten by Pit Bull at State Park12/31/08 | Manatee, FL
Summary: A 34-year-old woman was bitten on the leg by a pit bull terrier mix weighing about 60-pounds as she walked in Manatee Springs State Park on Sunday afternoon. Mike Schenck of Levy County Animal Control, said park officials contacted his office and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office about the incident. Levy County Emergency Medical Services responded to the call, but the woman refused transportation to a medical center for treatment, preferring to seek treatment on her own. (We hope this woman sought this treatment).
Pit Bull Attacks 61-Year Old Walking Through Field12/31/08 | Forth Worth, TX
Summary: A 61-year-old man was recovering from a vicious dog attack after a pit bull jumped him as he was walking through a vacant field. A 76-year-old man who police described as a Good Samaritan heard the attack and managed to pull the dog off the victim’s left arm. The victim was identified as Mashaallah Rostami, who was transported to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth with injuries to his left hand and wrist. He was released Tuesday shortly after the incident. "There was blood everywhere," Rostami said Wednesday. "It all happened so fast." A
secondary article talks about the attack as well.
Pit Bull Attacks Five People in Cleveland12/30/08 | Cleveland, OH
Summary: A pit bull in Cleveland attacked five people inside one home after some of those people got into a fight. Calista Phillips says her dog got upset when her best friend's boyfriend tackled another girl inside their home. "Adema" went after the boyfriend. It snow balled from there. The dog bit Calista, her boyfriend, another man in the house and Calista's mother who remains in Skyridge Medical Center with deep wounds and multiple stitches. Four individuals were injured, one seriously, all because a "tackle" set the pit bull off. Phillips admitted that Adema had been growing more aggressive.
Related ZUPF videoMother, Child Bitten by Pit Bull in Whitehaven12/27/08 | Whitehaven, TN
Summary: A woman and her child were taken to the hospital after being attacked by a pit bull Saturday afternoon. It happened around 5:30 p.m. in the 200 block of East Raines in Whitehaven. The mother is in serious condition and the child was taken to LeBonheur in non-critical condition. Police have not released the details of the attack. (We have continued to search on this attack, but have uncovered no new details).
Pit Bull-Mix That Attacked "Didn’t Even Bark"11/28/08 | Lithonia, GA
Summary: A Lithonia man said that he didn’t know a pit bull had come inside the house where he was staying until the dog started biting his legs. The dog also bit two children, 3 and 14, who were transported to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston. Maurice Jones, 40, said he was in the back of a home when he heard children running into the house screaming. As soon as he got up to investigate, the dog was grabbing at this calves. "I didn’t even know he was in the house," said Jones. "He didn’t even bark."
Jones said the children are relatives of a nephew’s friends. The 3-year-old was bitten in the head, he said, while the 14-year-old was bitten in the ankle. He did not know their names. Jones was transported to DeKalb Medical Center at Hillandale and released. He said the dog punctured the muscles in the calves of both his legs. Jones said he is in a lot of pain and has had to be aided by a walker because of his weakened legs. He also said he has scratches on his hands from trying to defend himself from the dog.
Related ZUPF videoRaging Pit Bull Injures Five In Boca Raton12/27/08 | Boca Raton, FL
Summary: Four people were taken to the hospital after being attacked in Boca Raton by a pit bull who became aggressive and broke away from its owner. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said that Julia Reichardt was walking with her pit bull when they approached another person taking her poodle for a stroll. The pit bull suddenly became aggressive. The poodle's owner was concerned that the dog might attack her pet, so she threw herself over her dog to protect it. The pit bull broke loose from its leash and attacked the owner and her dog anyway. Three other people who tried to intervene suffered minor injuries.
Pit Bulls Attack Injures Woman in New Lisbon11/28/08 | New Lisbon, NY
Summary: A woman found dazed and bloodied in a New Lisbon home suffered multiple dog bites and was hospitalized at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, according to state police at Oneonta. Debra Stonaker, 49, suffered puncture wounds to her neck, arms and upper torso and had a suspected broken wrist, troopers said. Three pit bulls belonging to the relatives and a yellow Labrador belonging to Stonaker were taken from the home and are under a 10-day rabies quarantine monitored by Shawn Patrick, New Lisbon's animal control officer. Stonaker was listed in stable condition on Sunday night, according to a Bassett spokeswoman.
Pit Bull Bites 4-Year Old's Face11/19/08 | Powell, TN
Summary: A four-year-old in Powell was attacked by the family pit bull. Anderson County deputies and EMS were called to a house to respond to a dog bite. The boy's mother said her son was on the floor with the dog and reached out to pick up a piece of candy. The dog attacked and bit the boy on the face. The dog's owner, Christopher Shelton, told deputies he jumped on the dog and pulled it off. Shelton said the dog had no history of unprovoked attacks and asked that animal control take the dog away. The boy suffered severe lacerations to the right side of his head and a puncture wound near his left eye. The boy and his mother were taken to UT Medical Center by ambulance.
Two Treated for Dog Bites from Pit Bulls12/18/08 | Camarillo, CA
Summary: Two people were bitten by a pair of loose pit bulls when they tried to pull the animals off another dog. The dog attack was reported at 6:43 a.m. in the 1900 block of Lakehurst Avenue in Camarillo, sheriff's Capt. Bill Ayub said. A man sustained a bite to his hand that was serious enough to require treatment at a local hospital, and a woman was treated at the scene for a bite to her hand. The pit bulls ultimately killed the dog the people were trying to protect. Sheriff's deputies captured the pit bulls after the attack, and animal control took them to the pound.
Two Pit Bulls Attack Woman11/28/08 | Corpus Christi, TX
Summary: A woman was attacked by two pit bulls inside her own backyard on Betty Jean Drive. "They [the dogs] saw me and, gosh, they just jumped up and grabbed my arm. It was pretty scary because it was like, they were going to [attack] me," Gloria Edson, who was bitten by a dog, said. Edson said the two pit bulls came in through a side fence, saw her and attacked. "There was a bunch of blood coming down my arm and going onto my pants. I hollered for my boyfriend to come over because I was down on the ground, and the both of them were fixing to eat me some more." Edson was taken to a hospital to get her arm stitched up.
Woman Sent To Hospital In Dog Attack12/13/08 | Davie, FL
Summary: A woman was rushed to a hospital Saturday morning after she caught in the middle of a fight between dogs, said police. Investigators said two people were walking their dogs along Southwest 22nd Court in Davie when the dogs attacked one another. The dogs were identified as an akita and pit bull. One of the owners tried to break up the fight and was bitten in the finger, said police. Police are still trying to figure out which dog bit the woman.
Richardson Boy Recovering from Pit Bull Attack 12/08/08 | Richardson, TX
Summary: A 10-year-old Richardson boy is recovering today from head and neck injuries suffered when a neighbor’s pit bull attacked him this weekend. According to Richardson police, the boy was playing with a friend outside in the 400 block of Rustic Circle on Sunday when his friend's 40-pound dog attacked him. The boy’s injuries were not life-threatening, though he endured a several day hospital stay. He is expected to be released from the hospital Tuesday, Richardson police Sgt. Kevin Perlich said.
Pit bull Quarantined After Attacking Grand Chute Boy12/03/08 | Grand Chute, WI
Summary: A pit bull terrier remains quarantined as police investigate a Thanksgiving Day attack by the dog on a 16-year-old boy. Authorities say the bite occurred at a home in the 5800 block of W. Wisconsin Avenue. Police said the dog is under a 10-day quarantine at the home. The teen is recovering from facial injuries, though police couldn't say how serious his injuries are. It's the second time police were called about the dog biting someone. In October, the dog broke free from its chain and bit at a jogger, Lt. Jerome Martin said.
Shannon Vance-Moede of Greenville, mother of the teen, said her son was at a friend's home watching movies when the attack occurred. She said he required 30 stitches to his face to repair injuries that included a torn lip and a split nostril. Doctors also used adhesives to limit the amount of stitching. She was angered that the dog was quarantined rather than seized, particularly after the animal already had bitten a person. "It's just a matter that this should have never happened, and there shouldn't be a second chance," she said.
Welcome to the antiquated world of dog bite law!
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